Aluminum metal may be produced by electrolysis in a cell superstructure. Inside such superstructure, alumina powders (Al2O3), being fed to a pot containing a liquid bath, may have to dissolve before being reduced to metallic aluminum by electrolysis. However, some alumina powders may not dissolve instantaneously since each batch of alumina powder may have a different dissolution rate. The variety of factors influencing dissolution rate include changes in ore source, refinery processing conditions, and shipment and storage segregation, to name a few. Being able to determine the alumina dissolution rate and to proactively adjust the alumina feed rate to the pot are two factors in maintaining high pot energy efficiency, reducing environmental impact by reducing anodic effect and muck formation.